In honor of International Women’s Day, my very chivalrous, generous, and comically old-fashioned father insisted on treating his two favorite ladies, my mother and my self, to dinner. Being most qualified, I was assigned the task of selecting the venue. And being that my parents reside on the Upper West Side, with not much inclination to dine elsewhere, my options were far from bountiful. But with oysters being somewhat of a focal point of this dinner, I knew one restaurant would not disappoint. And so we were off to The Mermaid Inn on the UWS. It was time those two had a lesson in oysters.

Ready to celebrate, we arrived at the restaurant just in time to take advantage of their happy hour and a half special. Three glasses of wine ordered and delivered, it was time to select our first round of oysters. The East Coast $1 special that day was the Chesapeake Bay and from the West Coast they were offering the Stellar Bays for $1.75 each. Settled on a half dozen of each special, we decided to broaden the variety by throwing in a few others from their regular menu; the Tomahawks from the East Coast, and the Hama Hamas, Fanny Bays and Kusshi from the West. It was time for the taste test. Which would my parents like the most.

Opting to truly appreciate the different varieties, they agreed to follow my instructions and try each kind without any toppings, not even the slightest squirt of lemon, at least on the first round. The Chesapeake bays were the briniest of all, with a strong taste of the ocean. Initially not pleased with the taste, after we added a little lemon, my dad declared we should order another dozen immediately. Kind of funny considering the man puts salt on everything and preferred his salty little oyster’s salinity to be cut with acid. Next up, we had the Stellar Bays. They were slightly cleaner in taste then the Chesapeakes, but with a lingering taste of the sea. The Fanny Bays were sweet and buttery, with not much of a finish. The white-shelled beautiful Kusshis were simple and sweet. And the Hama Hamas, which my dad announced as his absolute favorite, were clean, meaty and sweet. Overall it was a successfully educational first round of oysters, and my mom, with all her expertise, stated that she was very pleased with the shucking job. For round two we went with another half dozen Chesapeake Bays (all with a little lemon, of course) and a few more Hama Hamas.

With the Sauvignon flowing, we moved on to ordering a few items off their regular menu. Always a favorite of mine, we started with the seared calamari salad, which was tender and just the right transition from oysters to the fish tacos and lobster roll sliders that followed. And to finish off, we shared the mussels and a special that night, the seafood puttanesca. All of the dishes were flavorful, with the lobster roll sliders topping my parents’ charts.

Of course no meal at The Mermaid Inn would be complete without their complimentary decedent chocolate mouse in an espresso cup, and fishy the fortuneteller.

Thanks Dad of the OysterBlog for a very deliciously entertaining dinner. Love you guys!

The Mermaid Inn
568 Amsterdam Ave, New York – (212) 799-7400